By TIFFANY MONTGOMERY
Brothers Ivan and Marco Calderon see their Irvine restaurant set to open next month as a turning point.
The location, on Jamboree Road on the Irvine side of The Market Place, is the most high profile yet for their Taco Mesa Inc., which runs a handful of Orange County Mexican restaurants.
“I’m not going to accept any more ‘C’ locations,I’m not going to accept any more ‘B’ locations,” Ivan Calderon said. “We don’t have to. We have a good name and a good reputation now.”
The Calderons have made a name for themselves with Taco Mesa restaurants in Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo, Ladera Ranch and Orange, and with Taco Rosa, a more upscale version in Newport Beach.
The Irvine restaurant is set to be their second Taco Rosa.
The brothers mix tasty Mexican food with touches of continental cuisine. Twists at Taco Rosa include a charbroiled salmon tostada and blackened calamari tacos.
First Taco Mesa
The Calderons have built up Taco Mesa since their first restaurant opened in 1992 on 19th Street in Costa Mesa. Taco Rosa opened in the Newport Hills Center near Bonita Canyon Drive in 2004. The brothers financed Taco Rosa by selling Taco Mesas in Brea and Laguna Beach, Calderon said.
Taco Rosa isn’t easy to find. You could be in the shopping center parking lot and overlook it.
But people have found Taco Mesa restaurants, which generate an average of $1.2 million each in yearly sales. Taco Rosa topped $2 million last year.
The brothers and partner Rene Fuentes are projecting $3 million in annual sales for the Irvine Taco Rosa, which is taking over a former Koo Koo Roo site.
The restaurant is set to be 4,200 square feet, slightly bigger than the one in Newport Beach. The Irvine Taco Rosa is set to have a larger bar with tables inside and out.
The interior will have a contemporary Mexican look with light colors and iron accents, Calderon said. The menu will be the same as Newport Beach,salmon tacos, enchiladas with mole sauce, baked pork carnitas wrapped in banana leaves.
Expanding Taco Rosa is part of the Calderons’ vision for the company: three different chains selling food at different prices.
At the high end, Taco Rosa. In the middle, the coffee shop-style Taco Mesa. And, for fast-food, Taco Mesa Express serving a scaled down menu. Taco Mesa Express still is in the planning phase.
“It will be similar to In-N-Out Burger,” Calderon said. “Fresh food, great price points, and you work on volume.”
Location will determine what goes where, according to Calderon.
“In Beverly Hills, we might put a Taco Rosa,” he said. “But in Louisville, Ky., a Taco Mesa might work best.”
Calderon knows how tough it is to grow a restaurant chain. He worked during the boom years for El Torito Restaurants, now part of Cypress-based Real Mex Restaurants Inc. He started as a busboy in 1970. He left in 1991 as a regional manager.
“To control growth, you have to be around it,” he said. “When you have satellite locations, that’s when you start losing your ability to manage consistency.”
The company faces plenty of competition. Real Mex is big with El Torito, El Torito Grill, Acapulco and Chevys. The company plans to open two El Torito Grills and one El Torito in OC this year.
Javier’s Cantina & Grill is set to open a third OC restaurant at Crystal Cove Promenade in late 2007. Newcomer Gabbi’s Mexican Kitchen in Orange is a word-of-mouth favorite, like Taco Rosa has been.
For now, the Calderons are focusing on opening the Irvine Taco Rosa and running its other eateries, he said.
The brothers can be found working at their restaurants. On a recent Tuesday night at Taco Rosa, Ivan Calderon warmly greeted guests, delivered food, took drink orders and wiped up spills.
Down the road, the Calderons may be open to selling to a larger company to make growth easier, according to Ivan Calderon.
“I would not keep my eyes closed to merging or working with people who have similar goals and values,” he said. “If there is a company that is already established internationally and already structured to go into different markets, we may want to work with them.”
